How to ensure quick Covid vaccination of billions? Online gamers may help

Problem of building an mRNA which can stay effective for a long time in a regular refrigerator is currently being worked on by thousands of people around the world - by playing a game called Eterna

Quickly vaccinating billions of people around the globe against Covid-19 is going to be an endeavour like no other in human history. What could make it even more difficult is that some of the leading contenders — mRNA (1) vaccines — have a very short shelf life: They have to be stored and shipped at temperatures as low as minus 80 degrees Celsius (minus 112 degrees Fahrenheit).

The private sector, as well as the US military, is trying to figure out how to manage that feat. But there’s another possibility — and it relies on thousands of people playing an online